The Legendary Trainer
by Whitewater Alchemist
Summary: While traveling in Johto, Ash, Misty, and Brock are joined by a trainer with a Celebi and a troubled past. Misty x OC.
1. Prologue Part 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OCs Grassmans.

Chapter 1: Prologue part 1

Celebi had long felt special ties to the house long before the Grassmans moved in. It had watched countless people live in the house and leave for various reasons, such as death, relatives living elsewhere, or simple relocation. Yet something about the new people was different. Maybe it was the kind couple standing in the doorway of their new house. Or maybe it was the four-year old boy, who seemed full of joy. Whatever the reason, Celebi knew it wanted to be friends with those people.

"Well, this is it, gang." Mark Grassman said, looking around the hall. "Our new home."

"And look, dear" Kate Grassman pointed at Celebi, who decided to reveal itself to them. "It even comes with its own tenant."

Little Greg Grassman squealed happily. "Oh Mummy, can I play with it? Please?"

The boy's parents chuckled. "Of course, sweetie. We'll just going to be unpacking in the other room. Call us if you need anything." Mark said.

"Oh, and Celebi," Kate said, smiling at the Pokemon, "Make sure Greg doesn't get hurt, OK? He tends to be a bit…overenthusiastic sometimes."

Celebi smiled, nodded and flew off, the little boy following it.

_Six years later:_

Mark and Kate Grassman were sitting together on a sofa and looking at photos of their family and Celebi, taken throughout the years they lived there.

"Look at this one." Mark said, pointing at a photo of a twenty-year-old man with a shocked expression and tears shining in his eyes. "This was when Celebi decided to go time traveling and brought back twenty-year-old Greg with it. Our boy seemed so different; all grown up and serious." (AN: Story spoiler alert!)

"Yeah, remember how surprised he was to see us?" Kate commented. "It was almost as if we never hung out together in the future. I wonder what happened."

"Well, whatever the future has in store for our son, it can't be all bad." Mark pointed to a glinting object on the older Greg's hand. "We know he gets married in the future. Good thing our Greg was asleep at the time the future Greg visited us. I think they both would have freaked out." Mark then turned to a different page. (AN: Story spoiler end.)

A few minutes later, their reminiscing was interrupted by a knock on the door. Mark and Kate looked at each other, then Mark went over and looked out the peephole. His eyes widened.

"Kate, its Team Rocket!" Mark whispered nervously. "Get Violet, I've got Shadow here." He pointed to a single PokeBall on his belt. "Let's see what they want."

He opened the door and three men in black uniforms with a pink "R" on the front entered.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Grassman." The Rocket who appeared to be the leader said. "Our sources indicate that a legendary Pokemon known as Celebi inhabits this household. We have been sent here to retrieve it."

Greg chose this unfortunate time to walk in, with Celebi floating over his shoulder.

"Hey Mum, Dad, what's going…" he trailed off as he and the three goons made eye contact.

"There it is!" one of the goons shouted. "Get it!"

The three Rockets were stopped in their tracks as an Espeon and an Umbreon materialized between them and the ten-year-old.

"So you are willing to protect Celebi." The Rocket leader stated, turning back to the scared yet determined couple. "Very well."

He motioned to the other two and all three of them chose two Pokemon each, then sent them out."

Kate stared at the advancing small army of creatures, while Mark used the time to yell at his son.

"Greg, take Celebi and run! Don't worry about us, we'll be OK." Mark then smiled grimly. "Take care."

Greg took one last, faltering look at his parents, then turned and ran, Celebi flying behind him.

The lead Rocket watched him go. "You two are aware that once we're done here, we'll go after him? Are you really willing to risk your life for your son and his friend?"

Mark nodded, while Kate said "You have no idea what we would do for them."

A few minutes later, while hiding in a forest, Greg heard an explosion.

Greg stood among the remains of his house, tears streaming down his cheeks. His parents were now nothing more than two charred bodies, burned almost beyond recognition by the explosion and the following fire. The Rockets had long since left, taking his parents' Espeon and Umbreon as compensation for Celebi eluding them.

"They will pay for this." He muttered to himself, then turned to Celebi. "I will make sure their boss will regret messing with me."

Celebi looked at him and nodded, sending a telepathic message straight into Greg's mind.

_I'm with you. We're in this together._


	2. Prologue Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Italics are thoughts and Celebi's telepathic messages. I don't know if Celebi can really do that, so let's just assume it can.

Chapter 2: Prologue part 2

It has been three weeks since Greg lost his parents and he was now busy trying to think of a good way to get back at Team rocket and Giovanni for what they did to him. He had spent the last few days learning as much as possible about Team Rocket and now knew almost everything, including the location of their secret HQ. With this information, he now had a plan, which he was now talking to Celebi about.

"Ok, so what I think I'll do is pose as a potential recruit, ace all their entry requirements, then strive for a position within their group that allows me direct contact with Giovanni. Then I will kill him and quickly hightail it out of there. Now be honest." he motioned to his hat, wig, and glasses. "Does the disguise work?"

Celebi flew around his head, inspecting the disguise, then nodded. While it was slightly worried that Greg planned to kill, it completely understood his motives.

"One last thing to do." Greg said, pulling out a custom-made Luxury Ball and pointing it at Celebi. "Don't worry, this is just a precaution. I'll use it only in emergencies, but for now I need to hide you." Celebi looked apprehensive, but nodded. _Do it._

Greg watched as his best friend turned into a beam of red light and vanished into the Luxury Ball.

"Ok, I'm all set." He muttered.

Greg sat opposite Giovanni's second-in-command and listened to what the other man was saying.

"Alright, we don't usually give positions of power to our younger recruits, but I think we can make an exception for you, since you did pass all the standard AND advanced entry requirements with flying colors. First though, what's your name, son?"

Greg thought for a moment. "Kevin Lincoln." He finally muttered.

"Ok, tell me, Kevin, have you by any chance had any experience with any legendary Pokemon?" the executive Rocket asked.

Greg thought for a moment, before leaning in and saying in a low voice. "I'm about to show you something, and this has to stay a secret, all right? If the other members get wind of this, I might be in serious trouble."

The officer leaned forward, intrigued. "Very well. What is it you want to show me?"

Greg hesitated for a moment, then took out his Luxury Ball. "Come on out." He said.

The Rocket member watched in awe as Celebi materialized in the room.

"Impressive, isn't it?" Greg smirked. "I caught this sucker in the forest nearby. I think it's the same one the Grassmans were so fond of."

Celebi knew what Greg was doing, so to keep up the act it scowled at him, faking hatred and annoyance.

"I must say, this is really something." The Rocket said, clearly impressed. "I can see why you don't want the others to know. A team of three members recently had a mission to catch that thing, but they failed. And now you have it." They both chuckled at the irony.

The officer then turned serious. "Alright, that settles it. I'll put you in charge of the Legendary Division of Team Rocket. You'll be commanding the Rockets responsible for capturing Legendary Pokemon. Welcome to Team Rocket."

The two then stood up and shook hands over the table.

_Change of plans, Celebi. _Greg thought, knowing Celebi would hear him. _I won't kill Giovanni. Instead, I'll play him for a complete fool._

Celebi inwardly smiled.

_Half a year later:_

_The Legendary Division has made excellent progress since Lincoln took over. Team Rocket now has in its possession almost every Legendary Pokemon known to mankind. Thanks to Lincoln, Team Rocket is the most feared criminal organization in the world._

Giovanni smiled as he read the latest status report about his gang. He felt nothing could stop him now. He felt invincible.

His perfect day was ruined when a Rocket guard rushed into his office.

"Boss, sir." The grunt said without preamble. "Something is happening in the Legendary Division building. Lincoln has removed all the legendary Pokemon, including a Celebi no one knew about. He is asking to speak to you, and you alone."

_A Celebi no one knew about?_ Giovanni felt a growing suspicion rise inside his head. _Wait, the boy is about 10 years old, he has a Celebi caught near the Grassmans' house…_Giovanni gasped as he realized what that meant, then turned to the guard. "Lead the way." He said sharply.

The guard nodded and the two ran off.

Greg stood against a wall, surrounded by a semi-circle of Team Rocket members held at bay by Celebi.

"Out of my way, out of my way." He saw Giovanni pushing his way through the crowd, then the Rocket boss was facing him.

"You do realize we have you outmatched and outnumbered, Lincoln?" Giovanni smirked. "Or should I say Grassman?" he spat angrily.

Greg removed his disguise, stunning everyone in the room, then leered.

"Excellent deduction, _Boss_." He said. "Took you long enough. So now what happens?"

"Well, you can return all the Pokemon you took." Giovanni motioned to the huge sack filled with PokeBalls Greg had slung over his shoulder. "And if you hand over that Celebi, we'll let you leave unharmed, provided you don't bother us again."

Greg pretended to think over the proposition, then shook his head.

"I have a better idea." He smiled. "Celebi, use Teleport. Get us far away from here!"

A flash of light illuminated the room, and when the Rockets regained their eyesight, the boy, his Celebi, and all their hard work was gone.

Giovanni ground his teeth in frustration, knowing he just gained a very powerful enemy.

Elsewhere, Greg was talking to a huge mass of just-released Legendary Pokemon.

"Ok, I got all you guys out of Team Rocket's clutches. As far as I'm concerned, they won't be getting their hands on any of you again. I'll personally make sure of that."

Latios whistled a question and Celebi telepathically translated.

"Why did I rescue all of you?" Greg repeated. "Easy. Team Rocket killed my parents while trying to get my friend here, and I decided to infiltrate them and kill Giovanni for what he did to me. Then I got put in charge of the division that captured you all, and I decided that releasing you guys will also be ample payback, while at the same time I avoided stooping down to his level."

"Anyway, now I want to ask a favor. Should Team Rocket attempt to track me down, I won't be able to fight them all off, even with Celebi here. So, I was wondering, could five of you maybe decide to accompany me for a while until things calm down?"

After a short silence, Suicune, Raikou, Moltres, Regice, and Groudon came forward, but faltered when Greg took out five Luxury Balls.

"Don't worry, guys, this is a safety measure." Greg explained. "Team Rocket will track me down immediately if you guys are seen. It would make it much easier if you guys agreed to hide in those." Celebi added a few words of encouragement of his own.

The five Pokemon looked at each other, then collectively nodded and let themselves be absorbed into the balls.

"To the rest of you, good luck." Greg said as the remaining Pokemon started to disperse.

Back in the Rocket HQ, Giovanni faced a team of his best ten followers.

"Your objective is clear." He said. "I want that Celebi captured, and that sniveling brat Greg dead. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir!" the team of assembled Rockets yelled.

"Very well. Go forth and don't come back without that punk's broken corpse." Giovanni advised them, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I suggest you all stick together on this. As much as I hate to admit it, the brat is actually a strong trainer. It won't be easy, but I think you can do it."

"And unless you want to regret living, don't fail me on this."

The ten Rockets bowed and left in search of Greg.


	3. Greg Meets The Gang

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Italics are thoughts and Celebi's telepathic messages. I don't know if Celebi can really do that, so let's just assume it can.

Chapter 3: Greg joins the gang.

It has been one month since Greg thwarted Giovanni and released Team Rocket's Legendary Pokemon back into the wild. After traveling with Celebi, Suicune, Groudon, Moltres, Raikou, and Regice (who became friends with him in their time together), but no human companions, the loneliness and solitude started to get to him.

Right now he and his team were resting by a lake. Moltres and Groudon were playfully attacking each other with fire blasts, taking care not to damage anything or anyone else, Suicune, Raikou, and Regice were swimming in the lake, and Celebi was flying around the area. Greg was sitting against a tree, thinking about his life up to that point.

_One year ago, I wouldn't have believed it if this happened. Now, though, it seems like I've been through so much. I'm not even eleven yet, and I already lost my parents, made powerful enemies, and got doomed to a life of solitude. I mean, no one will want to hang around with me for honest reasons. They will all be after my companions._

Greg looked up to see Regice perform a cannonball, splashing Raikou.

_I wonder if this all happened because I met Celebi…NO! I can't blame anybody for this. No one could have known all this was going to happen._

Greg stood up.

"Ok, guys, fun's over." Greg held up a hand to silence the complaints of his Pokemon. "I'm sorry, but we need to keep moving." He recalled everyone except Celebi back into their respective Luxury Balls. "Time to go." He said to the grass-type Pokemon.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere." A voice said.

Greg turned around quickly to see a group of ten Team Rocket members approach him.

"Greg Grassman, the boss wants you dead." One of the Rockets said. "Should you choose to simply hand over your Celebi, we can make sure you perish swiftly. Otherwise, we will make it painful."

_It sounds like they think I only have Celebi with me right now. Good, I'm going to keep it that way._

"Bring it on!" Greg yelled. "I'm not scared of you!"

The Rockets smirked, then called forth every Pokemon they had.

Greg's resolve faltered slightly, facing the army of Crobats, Raticates, and a few Weezings. He then mentally composed himself, setting his jaw in a determined scowl.

"Alright, Celebi, you're on!"

Celebi flew past Greg and faced off against the horde of enemy Pokemon.

"Celebi, many of them are Poison types. Use Psychic to quickly eliminate those from the fight!" Greg yelled, hoping to end the battle quickly.

The Rockets watched in disbelief as the grass Pokemon instantly decimated their forces, then they focused on the remaining Raticates.

"Go, Raticates. Ignore the Celebi and attack the kid!" the Rockets yelled in unison.

Greg's eyes widened as the troop of rats closed in on him, then screamed in pain as they began to bite and scratch him.

"Celebi, get rid of those!" Greg yelled urgently. "Then send those cowardly goons packing."

Celebi nodded, then quickly used Solarbeam and knocked out the Raticates. After that, it turned towards the Rocket trainers and blasted them with another Solarbeam, sending the criminals flying far away in different directions.

"Heh…looks like…I don't have to…worry about these guys…anymore." Greg smiled weakly, then fainted from his injuries.

Celebi took a quick look at the badly bruised boy and flew off to find some help.

_Elsewhere:_

"Brock, are we lost again?" A redheaded girl carrying a Togepi asked her companion.

"Give it a rest, Misty." A kid with black hair and a Pikachu on his shoulder instructed his friend. "It's not like this never happened before. We have nothing to worry about."

A loud growl interrupted their discussion.

"Ok, I take that back." Ash sighed, looking at his stomach. "Where exactly are we, Brock?"

"Um… we appear to be somewhere over here." Brock indicated a spot in the middle of the green area representing the forest they were in.

"Hey guys, look!" Misty exclaimed, pointing at a green Pokemon that flew out of the forest towards them. "It's a Celebi."

Celebi flew up to the trio and started gesturing wildly.

"I think it wants us to follow it." Brock said, frowning. "Either that or its having a seizure."

Celebi shook its head, glaring at Brock.

"Ok, let's follow it then." Ash said, and motioned for Celebi to lead the way.

A short while later, Celebi and the three travelers reached a clearing and a small lake. Celebi quickly flew over to where Greg was unconscious on the ground. Ash, Misty, and Brock rushed over to the fallen body. Brock quickly checked for a pulse. He found one, but it was weak.

"Ok, Ash, Misty, we're going to set up camp here. We need to get this boy healthy again."

"Check who it is, Misty. Maybe well get some information about him from his backpack." Ash told his friend, surprising everyone with how smart the idea was.

Misty looked inside the backpack and her eyes widened. As Ash and Brock watched, she pulled out a wig, dark sunglasses, a framed picture of a couple labeled "The Grassmans", and several photos showing Legendary Pokemon and Team Rocket members.

"Hm, this is really interesting." Brock said, eyeing the still figure suspiciously. "I can't wait to hear how he explains all this. We'd better keep an eye on him for when he awakens. Misty, you first." Misty nodded.

_Several hours later:_

_Oh man, I hurt all over. Something tells me I'll be cursing those annoying Raticates for years to come after today. _

Greg sat up and stretched, then opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was an unfamiliar girl looking at him.

_Man, she's beautiful…wait, what the hell happened? Last thing I remember, I fainted after being attacked by Team Rocket. Why am I in a sleeping bag with some admittedly cute yet unknown girl watching me?_

"Ash, Brock, come out here." The girl yelled. "He woke up!"

Greg watched as a boy about his age and a man came up to the girl.

"When did he wake up, Misty?" the man asked.

"Just now, Brock." The girl, Misty, answered.

Greg looked at the boy. "So you must be Ash."

The boy nodded. "And you are?" he asked Greg.

"We'll get to that shortly." Brock said, then eyed Greg suspiciously. "Right now I want to know about these." He held up the framed picture, the wig and glasses, and the stack of photos. "Start with this." He handed Greg the picture of his parents.

"I assume you all heard about the Grassmans?" Greg asked the trio. They nodded. "Ever wonder what happened to the boy?"

"From what I heard, he ran off into the forest near his house. No one knows what happened to him after that." Misty responded.

"That's me." Greg sighed. "My name is Greg Grassman."

Ash and Misty gasped, while Brock nodded.

"That explains the picture and the Celebi." He said, then indicated the disguise and photos. "What about these?"

"After Team Rocket killed my parents, I wanted revenge on them for what they did. I managed to infiltrate Team Rocket's HQ by posing as a recruit under the alias Kevin Lincoln, and got put in charge of the Legendary Division. That's why I have the disguise and photos. I needed to stay unrecognized for my plan to work, and I took the photos because I had to do some work to manage to fool them."

"That still doesn't explain why you're out here in this shape. What happened?" Misty asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Six months after joining Team Rocket, I was ready to get my revenge. I freed all the Legendary Pokemon Team Rocket captured earlier, and I've been wandering aimlessly around since. Of course, Giovanni was furious, so he decided to send his men after me. They caught up to me today and, well, Celebi defeated and incapacitated them all, but I got injured in the fight." Greg motioned to the multiple wounds on his body. "Anything else you want to know about me?"

"Yeah." Brock said. "Since you have no plan of your own, would you like to accompany us on our travels through Johto?"

Greg stared at him, then at the other two, who were nodding. "You guys really mean that? You want me to tag along with you all? As a friend?"

"Why not?" Misty asked him. "You know what they say, the more the merrier. I bet traveling with a new friend will be much more fun." _Besides, I think I'm falling for you, _she thought with a slight, unnoticed blush on her cheeks.

"There's one thing you gotta do first, though." Ash smirked. "Let's have a Pokemon battle!" Greg jumped to his feet, all injuries forgotten.

"You're on."


	4. Ash VS Greg!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Chapter 4: Ash VS Greg!

"You sure you're up for this, Greg?" Misty asked him, worried. "After all, you are recovering form the Team Rocket attack, you know."

"I'll be fine, Misty." Greg replied, raising one eyebrow. "Thanks for asking, though. Brock, could you be the referee?"

Brock nodded and cleared his throat, before speaking in a loud voice.

"Ok, this will be a 3-on-3 battle. Both trainers are allowed to substitute their Pokemon at any time. The battle ends when either Greg or Ash has lost 3 Pokemon."

Ash looked at Greg, calculating. _He's bound to use his Celebi at one point in this battle. I wonder what else he has hidden in his arsenal, though. Well, guess I'll find out soon enough._

"Bayleef, I choose you!" Ash yelled. Greg smiled.

"A grass Pokemon, huh? I think I'll give you the type advantage here."

Ash smirked. Not only was Greg up against one of his stronger Pokemon, but he was also giving him an advantage in the battle.

"Ok, you're up." Greg yelled, throwing a Luxury Ball with a sticker of a raindrop on it.

Ash, Misty, and Brock watched in suspense as the red light started taking shape, then their jaws dropped as Suicune materialized on the field.

"Um, Greg?" Misty inquired, turning to the trainer. "Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

Greg looked at her, then chuckled.

"Oh, yeah, guess I did. Apart from Celebi, a few other Legendary Pokemon agreed to accompany me on my journey after I rescued them from Team Rocket. You'll get to meet them all in due course."

Misty and Brock turned back to watch the battle. _This should be interesting, _Ash thought. _I'm fighting a trainer who has a team full of Legendary Pokemon. Let's see how well I do._

"Bayleef, use Razor Leaf!" Ash yelled.

"Dodge and use Mist!" Greg instructed Suicune.

The Razor Leaf attack passed by harmlessly, as Suicune jumped high into the air and proceeded to cover the battlefield in tiny droplets of water.

"Now use Water Pulse!"

Ash watched as a stream of water shot out from the mist and hit Bayleef.

"Bayleef, use Synthesis to recover!" Ash shouted.

Bayleef nodded, but nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?" Ash wondered aloud. Greg laughed.

"It's quite simple. The mist covering the field blocks the sunlight from reaching Bayleef, rendering your Synthesis ineffective."

Ash gritted his teeth.

_Impressive, _Misty thought. _He's using the simple effects of Mist to turn Ash's strategy useless. I wonder if Ash has any chance of winning this._

"Bayleef, use your Vine Whip to jump!" Ash yelled. Greg's eyes widened.

Bayleef raised itself on the Vine Whip until it was high above Suicune's mist cloud and in direct view of the sun.

"Now use Solarbeam." Ash commanded his Pokemon.

From down in the mist, neither Greg nor Suicune could see where the attack was coming from, that is until it hit Suicune and knocked him out.

"Suicune is unable to battle!" Brock exclaimed. "This round goes to Ash."

The three younger trainers were all stunned that Ash managed to defeat Suicune.

"Ash, I must say I'm impressed. No one has ever lasted in a battle against me, let alone won. Then again, I watched on TV as you won in the Orange Islands, so I knew I'd have a hard time." Greg shook his head, then smiled.

"Anyway, this time I'll win. You're up!" Greg threw a Luxury Ball with a small flame sticker into the air.

The emergence of Moltres caused Ash and Misty to stare in awe at Greg.

_This isn't good, _Ash thought.

"Alright, Moltres, let's finish this one quickly. Use Gust to blow the mist away, then use Fire Spin on Bayleef!"

Moltres flapped its wings until the mist dissipated, then, catching sight of Bayleef, shot a spiral of fire at its opponent.

Ash was still speechless from seeing Moltres under a trainer's command, so he didn't even notice when Bayleef fainted. He snapped back to reality upon hearing Brock's voice.

"Bayleef can't continue." Brock announced. "Greg wins this round."

Ash sighed. "Ok, Greg. Now I think I'll match you for type. Go, Charizard!"

Charizard appeared on the field.

"Show that Moltres what real Fire Pokemon can do!" Ash yelled. "Use Flamethrower!"

"Counter with Fire Spin!" Greg shouted.

The two fire attacks collided in midair, and after a short stalemate, both stopped.

_That didn't work, _Ash thought, then yelled "Ok, use Steel Wing!"

"Sky Attack!" Greg called to Moltres.

The two Pokemon crashed with each other, creating a small explosion and raising a big cloud of dust. When it cleared, both Pokemon were lying on the ground with swirls in their eyes.

"Both Moltres and Charizard are unable to battle." Brock declared. "Ash and Greg are both down to their last Pokemon."

"Hey, Greg." Ash called to his opponent. "What say we make this one a battle of our starter Pokemon?"

Greg nodded.

_Ok, he agreed, which means I'll be facing a non-legendary Pokemon. I mean, there's no way he started out with one of those, right?_

His hopes were dashed when Greg motioned to Celebi and it flew out on the field.

"You started out with Celebi?" Misty shouted in surprise. Greg looked at her.

"Yeah, it lived with me for six years before my parents died, and before they did, Professor Elm told me that if Celebi agrees, it can become my starter Pokemon on my journey. As you can see, it did agree." Greg smiled.

"Ok, I guess I have no choice. Pikachu, you're on." Ash looked at his best friend.

Pikachu nodded, and ran out to the field, facing Celebi.

"Alright, I'll start things off. Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

"Celebi, dodge and use Shadow Ball." Greg responded.

Celebi moved out of the way of the stream of electricity and fired off several spheres of black energy.

"Pikachu, dodge it and use Agility." Ash yelled.

The dark energy flew harmlessly by Pikachu as it started running at extremely fast speeds.

"Now use Quick Attack!"

"Celebi, wait until Pikachu's close and counter with Return!" Greg yelled.

Misty and Brock started.

_Uh oh, he knew Celebi for six years, they are best friends, and they've been through so much together…that Return attack must be really powerful, _they thought in unison.

The two attacks collided, and true to their thoughts, Pikachu appeared severely shaken, while Celebi appeared to be unharmed.

"Ok, Celebi, let's finish this off. Use Shadow Ball, and follow it up with Solarbeam."

Greg instructed Celebi.

"Pikachu, use Thunder on Celebi when it shoots the Solarbeam!" Ash responded.

Pikachu waited until Celebi sent off the Solarbeam, then sent a massive electric shock hurtling Celebi's way. Ash smiled in satisfaction as the lightning attack connected with its target.

Ash's cheery mood was soon erased when the faster Solarbeam connected with the previously launched Shadow Ball and caused a massive explosion barely a few meters away from Pikachu.

As the dust settled, Ash and Greg both saw Pikachu on the ground, clearly fainted, and Celebi still hovering in the air, but breathing ruggedly.

"Pikachu is unable to…" Brock trailed off as Celebi closed its eyes and also dropped to the ground, much to Greg's disbelief.

"Another double knockout!" Brock announced. "The battle between Greg and Ash is a tie."

Greg and Ash shook hands and smiled at each other, each having gained admiration and respect in the other's eyes.

"So does that mean I get to travel with you?" Greg asked.

Misty approached them and laughed upon hearing his question.

"Greg, that was already established before your battle. Ash just wanted to see how good you are as a Pokemon trainer." Ash nodded. _Besides, _Misty thought, _if Ash said "No", I think I would have badly hurt him._

"So what are we waiting for?" Greg asked, eager to begin his journey with his new friends. "Let's go already!"

"Yeah!" Ash backed him up. "I wanna get to the next Gym as soon as possible! Let's go, guys!"

The four friends smiled at one another, then set off for the next stop on Ash's quest.

Somewhere in nearby bushes, Jessie, James, and Meowth were watching the battle.

"Did you see that?" Jessie asked her partners excitedly. "The twerps have a new friend, and he commands Legendary Pokemon. If we steal Pikachu plus those rare Pokemon, the Boss will make us rich!"

James and Meowth grinned at the prospect, then lost themselves in daydreams of being millionaires. Jessie quickly grew impatient with their antics.

"Those Legendary Pokemon won't steal themselves, you know." She said. "Come on, we need to think of a plan."

James and Meowth nodded, then all three huddled together to discuss ideas.


	5. So Long, Team Rocket

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Chapter 5: So Long, Team Rocket!

"So Ash, where's the next Gym? How many badges do you have? Who are you going to use in the League competition?" Greg bombarded Ash with questions while they walked.

Ash looked at Greg shocked, while Misty and Brock exchanged an amused smirk.

"Cool it with the questions, will you, Greg?" Ash attempted calming his friend down. "To answer, though, the next Gym is in Olivine City, I have 5 badges so far, and I didn't plan far enough as to decide who I'll use in the League." Ash told him.

"So Misty," Greg turned to the girl. "Why are you traveling with Ash?"

"Well, at first I wanted him to pay me back for the bike he destroyed, and don't get me wrong, I still do. But I got to know him as a friend in the meantime, and I prefer traveling to running the Cerulean Gym, so I stuck with him." Misty explained.

"What about you, Brock?" Greg asked the man.

"Oh, I wanted to get to know Ash as a person when he threw away a chance at victory in my Gym in Pewter City, claiming he had an unfair advantage. That was the first time I've seen someone like that." Brock responded and Greg nodded.

"So what do you want to…"Greg was cut off when the ground beneath them crumbled and the group fell into a pitfall trap.

Misty sighed. "Oh, not this again." She grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Greg asked her, clearly shocked. "What's going on?"

"Oh, it's just Team Rocket." Ash responded nonchalantly.

Greg's eyes widened, then he sat down heavily, buried his face in his hands, and groaned.

"Oops." Ash frowned, rubbing his head sheepishly. "Sorry."

"I should have known they wouldn't leave me alone." Greg moaned. "I think they might try to hurt you guys too, just because I hang out with you."

Misty glared at Ash, then sat down next to Greg and put a comforting arm around him.

"It's not what you think, Greg." She explained, trying to calm the distraught boy. "It's not the Team Rocket that wants revenge on you; it's those two idiots and a talking Meowth who want to steal Ash's Pikachu all the time. They do this almost everyday."

Greg looked up at her gratefully.

"Thanks, Misty." He said. "Are you referring to Jessie, James, and Meowth?"

The three nodded. Greg sighed.

"Those three are such losers. They get the dumbest ideas and constantly try to suck up to Giovanni. Let me guess." he turned to Ash. "They only want your Pikachu because you defeated them with it, right?" Ash nodded. Greg smiled slowly.

"I think I know a way to get them off your case for a long time, Ash." He said while thinking about something.

"Really? What are you planning to do?" Ash asked him cautiously.

Greg stood up and started explaining his idea to his friends.

A short while later, Greg, now disguised one more time as Kevin Lincoln, used Moltres to fly out of the hole.

"Hey, no fair, twerp!" Jessie shouted angrily, as James and Meowth stood slightly behind her. However, she quickly lost her composure and tried hiding behind James when Greg's face took on an expression of pure rage.

"What do you three think you're doing?" Greg thundered. "Do you even have any idea who I am?"

James smirked.

"Yeah, you're the new twerp who has a bunch of Legendary Pokemon we're interested in."

Greg's eyes flashed dangerously at the insult.

"Wrong." He said in a low, deadly voice. "I'm Kevin Lincoln. Now do you recognize me?"

Team Rocket's faces turned to pure shock. _Uh oh, _they thought at the same time.

"Sorry, sir." Meowth said, coming forward and bowing. "We didn't recognize you. Please accept our apologies." Jessie and James nodded.

"Listen closely." Greg walked up to them. "You three are idiots. You dishonor the name of Team Rocket. The Boss sees no use for you. However, he recognizes your interest in the brat's Pikachu as legitimate. I got sent here to actually do something to steal it, instead of you losers just digging random holes like you usually do. The Boss recognizes me as someone who knows how to do something without screwing up in every imaginable way. You three are no longer required to follow these three around. That will only interfere with my job. Now go do something you are capable of, like finger painting. Leave this to the professionals."

"It actually makes sense when you think about it." James remarked. "I mean, who better to steal a Pokemon than the person who captured many Legendary Pokemon for Team Rocket?"

Greg, Jessie, and Meowth nodded.

"Ok, sir." Jessie said. "We'll leave you alone to carry out your job. Once again, I apologize for accidentally insulting you."

The three thieves bowed one more time and flew off in their balloon.

Greg watched them go, then walked back to the pitfall.

"Ok, they're gone." He said, pulling Misty out. "And I think they bought it, so they won't bother us again for a long time. Mind you, I hate wearing this thing." He remarked, pulling off the wig and scratching his head.

"Thanks, Greg." Ash said, looking after the now tiny balloon. "I'm glad to see the back of those creeps. Especially since it might be the last time."

"No problem, Ash." Greg said, then his expression darkened. "Now hand over that Pikachu."

The three stared at him in shock, then caught on when Greg smiled jokingly. Soon all four of them were laughing.

"So, Ash." Greg finally said when the laughter subsided. "Shouldn't we start moving again?"

Ash nodded, remembering what they were doing.

"Right, let's go." He said, only to be stopped by Brock and Misty.

"Hold on a minute here." Brock said. "Greg, what do you say to a battle between you and a team of me and Misty?"

Misty smiled, keen at the idea. "Yeah, I want to see the other Pokemon you haven't shown us."

"Alright guys, I'll take you two on. Maybe we should get to the Pokemon Center first, though. I mean, three of my Pokemon did get exhausted only a few hours ago in that battle against Ash. How about we hold our battle right after that, Ok?"

Misty and Brock nodded, then the group set off for the Pokemon Center they could see in the distance.


	6. Lovers' Bout! Greg VS Misty!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Chapter 6: Lovers' bout! Greg VS Misty!

"There you go, guys." Nurse Joy said, handing back three PokeBalls each to Ash and Greg. "Your Pokemon are all better now."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Greg said, then turned to Misty and Brock. "So, you guys ready to have this battle now?" Misty and Brock nodded.

"Nurse Joy?" Greg asked, turning back to the pink-haired woman. "Could you be the referee for this battle?"

"I'd love to." The nurse replied.

_Later, on a field outside:_

"This double battle between Greg and the team of Misty and Brock will now commence. Misty and Brock are allowed two Pokemon each, while Greg may use four. Each side must have two Pokemon on the field. The battle ends when either team runs out of Pokemon. Now begin!" Nurse Joy explained.

"Starmie, I choose you!" Misty yelled, throwing her PokeBall.

"Go, Geodude!" Brock exclaimed, throwing a PokeBall of his own.

"A Water type and a Rock type, huh?" Greg smirked. "Alright, you guys are up." With that he threw two Luxury Balls in the air.

Everyone stared in surprise at the two Pokemon that appeared on the field.

"Hold up!" Nurse Joy exclaimed. "Why do you have Raikou and Celebi under your command?"

"Apart from Celebi, who is my best friend for seven years now, a few Legendary Pokemon became my friends after I rescued them from Team Rocket, and they agreed to accompany me. Enough said." Greg explained briefly. "Now, Celebi, use Rain Dance!" he ordered his friend.

_Why would he want to use that? Doesn't he know he's only boosting Starmie's attack power?_ Misty wondered. _Well, if he's giving me a power boost, I guess I'll use it._

"Raikou, Thunder!" Greg yelled.

Misty watched in shock as the lightning bolt sped towards Starmie.

"Geodude, protect Starmie!" Brock shouted. "Get in front of it!"

Geodude's efforts were in vain as, since the Rock Pokemon was covered in water from the Rain Dance, the electric attack was amplified in strength enough to knock Geodude out.

"Geodude is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy announced. "Brock is down to his last Pokemon."

"Ok, Onix, go!" Brock yelled, throwing another PokeBall.

Greg looked on, impressed, as a huge snake made of boulders materialized on the field.

"You're going with an Onix? This should be fun, I never fought one of those before." Greg said, smiling at Brock.

"Ok, Starmie, use Hydro Pump!" Misty yelled. "Onix, Rock Throw!" Brock backed her up.

Greg was too busy admiring Onix, he didn't notice the two attacks headed towards Raikou until it barked a question at him.

"Huh? Oh yeah, Raikou dodge those attacks!" Greg yelled urgently.

However, Greg left it too late, and the Hydro Pump sent Raikou flying right into the path of the huge rock Onix had thrown.

"Raikou, no!" Greg shouted, panicked, as the two attacks collided with the electric Pokemon.

Raikou fell to the ground and didn't get up again.

"Raikou is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy proclaimed. "Greg, please choose your next Pokemon."

"Very well." Greg nodded. "Regice, you're on!" he threw yet another Luxury Ball into the air.

"What is that? It's definitely not from Johto." Ash wondered, seeing the Ice Pokemon.

"Regice is a Hoenn region native." Greg explained. "I doubt you would have heard of it."

"The Hoenn region, huh?" Ash muttered. "Sounds like a place I'd like to visit later."

"Begin!" Nurse Joy shouted.

"Celebi, use Psychic, and Regice, use Ice Beam." Greg said calmly.

This time it was Onix who was rendered unconscious by the double effect.

"Onix is unable to battle. Brock is out of the match." Nurse Joy announced. "Misty, please send your second Pokemon to the field. This Double Battle will now resume!"

"Go, Staryu! Help out Starmie." Misty yelled, throwing her second PokeBall.

"Celebi, use Psychic, and Regice, use Icy Wind." Greg ordered his Pokemon, still with a calm demeanor.

Starmie managed to dodge both attacks, but Staryu turned into an ice block after getting hit by Icy Wind.

"Now, Celebi, use Solarbeam on Starmie. Regice, use Body Slam." Greg said.

"Starmie, dodge it!" Misty yelled. Greg snickered.

"I knew you were going to forget about something. Look at that." He pointed to the battlefield.

Misty followed his gaze to where Regice was picking itself up from an unconscious Staryu.

"Staryu is unable to battle." Nurse Joy said. "Misty cannot use any more Pokemon."

Misty gritted her teeth. _Man, he's good. There's no way I can win with Starmie if he has two Pokemon on the field and another one still hidden. I might as well give it my best before I'm out._

"Starmie, use Hydro Pump!" Misty yelled.

"Counter with Solar Beam." Greg told his Celebi.

The two attacks met in midair and canceled each other out.

"Well, Greg, looks like you're not strong enough to beat my Starmie, even with a Legendary Pokemon fighting for you." Misty boasted. Greg just chuckled.

"Forgetting something again, aren't we, Misty?" he asked, smirking. "Now, Regice!" he yelled.

Misty started in shock as the Ice Pokemon suddenly appeared right behind Starmie.

"Zap Cannon, now!" Greg shouted.

Misty was powerless to do anything as the ball of electricity hit Starmie and knocked it to the ground.

"Starmie is unable to battle!" Nurse Joy said, noticing the irregular blinking of Starmie's crystal. "Greg wins!"

Misty recalled her Starmie and walked towards Greg, who was waiting with an outstretched hand.

"Congratulations, Greg." Misty smiled. "You were awesome."

"Don't sell yourself short, Misty." Greg smiled as well. "You were pretty good yourself.

The two trainers shook hands, then Misty unexpectedly pulled him into a hug.

_Hmm, now why did she do that? _Greg wondered. _Gotta admit, it feels nice, though._

_Ok, why did I decide to hug him? Oh, who cares, I don't want to let go yet, _Misty thought to herself.

Brock, Pikachu, Nurse Joy, and Celebi watched the exchange silently, Brock and Celebi with knowing smirks, Pikachu with puzzlement, and Nurse Joy with a tender smile.

Elsewhere, Jessie was talking to Giovanni on a pay phone.

"Hey boss, it's Jessie, James, and Meowth, calling to ask you something." she said.

"Yeah, what is it?" Giovanni drawled, taking a sip of coffee.

"Why weren't we warned that you sent Kevin Lincoln to assist us in stealing Pikachu?"

Giovanni spat out his coffee.

"What?" he exclaimed. "You're saying that Grass- I mean Lincoln is near you three somewhere?"

"Yes, Boss." Jessie confirmed, confused. "But I thought you knew, after all, you did order him here, right?"

_Looks like I finally tracked you down, Grassman. This time, you will pay for what you've done, _Giovanni thought to himself.

"No, I didn't order him there." Giovanni started explaining. "What really happened is…"

Several minutes later, Jessie hung up the phone.

"So Jess, what did the Boss say? What are we doing now?"

After relaying the story to her teammates, Jessie laughed.

"So now we're getting a raise for telling Giovanni about Grassman being here, and I think it's time for a little payback on the twerps." James repeated what she said to understand, then he and Meowth joined in the laughter.

"Tomorrow we'll do it." Jessie laughed. "Tomorrow, we will make Grassman and the twerps suffer!"


	7. Team Rocket Strikes Back!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Chapter 7: Team Rocket strikes back!

_The next day, early morning (around 6 am):_

Greg sat at the edge of the cliff, staring off into the sunrise. This was his favorite time of day, the time before everyone and everything else woke up. He spent every morning looking into the distance and thinking about his life and future.

_Well, thanks to my new friends, things are starting to look up for me. It seems that with these guys my life may just take an upward turn. I wonder what will happen when something causes us to go different ways. Do I stick with one of them or do I go into solitude again?_

Greg's thoughts then shifted to Misty and her recent display of affection.

_Also, I wonder what's up with Misty. Sure, she's attractive and she seems nice, but I doubt she likes me the way I think I like her. I mean, we've only met two days ago. Love at first sight is in my opinion a rare event, two people experiencing that same thing with one another…what are the chances?_

"Quite peaceful out here at this time of day, isn't it?" a voice asked him.

Greg started and turned around, only to come face-to-face with Brock.

"Yeah, I suppose it is. I like to wake up early and think about stuff before starting my day. What about you, why are you up already?" Greg asked.

"I woke up shortly after you. I just didn't want to interrupt your thinking session earlier." Brock explained. "Anyway, what were you thinking about?"

"Misty." Greg shortly replied. "I think she likes me, and I don't know what to do. You got any ideas that might help?"

Brock thought for a moment. "It depends. First, you're right; she does appear to like you. The question is, how do you feel about her?"

Greg stayed silent, thinking hard about something, then finally looked up at Brock.

"See, this is where things get complicated. I think I like her the same way she likes me." He said.

"What's so complicated about that, Greg? Just tell her how you feel, and see how everything goes from there. That's the best idea I've got." Brock advised Greg.

"You really think so?" Greg considered it for a moment, then his face brightened. "I think you're right, Brock. Thanks, I think I'll talk to Misty about this later." Greg smiled and walked away to think about things again.

Brock stared after the departing boy. "You're welcome, Greg."

_Later that day:_

"I thought you said they were going to leave us alone for a long time after what you did." Ash scowled at Greg.

"Hey, cool it, alright?" Greg defended himself. "They must have contacted Giovanni and he cleared things up for them or something. You think I'm happy about this?"

The group of four travelers plus Pikachu and Celebi was now at the bottom of a familiar pitfall trap.

"Anyway, I guess I'll try the disguise thing again." Greg said, putting the wig on, then he motioned to Celebi. "Celebi, if you please, use Teleport to get us all out of here."

A flash of light lit up the area, and when it cleared, Greg and the others were standing facing Team Rocket on the other edge of the hole.

"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie burst into the Team Rocket motto.

"To unite all people within our nation." James continued.

"What do you three think you're doing this time?" Greg yelled. "Have you already forgotten what we discussed?"

"Can it, Grassman." Jessie yelled back. "We know about your little trick. The Boss told us everything."

"Damn." Greg muttered, taking his wig off and putting it away. "So now what?"

"Now you hand over all your legendary Pokemon and that Pikachu, or we take them by force." Jessie smirked.

"Not gonna happen." Greg exclaimed. "Celebi, you're on!"

"Pikachu, I choose you!" Ash yelled.

"Starmie, go!" Misty threw a PokeBall.

The three Pokemon lined up and faced off against Arbok and Weezing.

"Arbok, use Poison Sting!" Jessie shouted. "Weezing, Tackle!" James ordered.

"Celebi, use Psychic." Greg said. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled.

Team Rocket watched in horror as their Arbok and Weezing lost consciousness.

"Now its time you all met the real powerhouse of my team." Greg announced, throwing a Luxury Ball with a dirt clod sticker on it. "Groudon, use Solarbeam!"

"That attack takes time to charge up." Jessie observed, staring in fear and disbelief at the huge Pokemon. "What say we run before it's done?"

"You're forgetting Groudon's ability, Sunny Day." Greg snickered. "It erases all clouds in the sky and magnifies the strength of the sun, increasing the power of Fire-type attacks and making Solarbeam and instant attack. Now, Groudon, fire!"

The Legendary Pokemon shot a thick beam of solar energy at Team Rocket, causing a massive explosion and sending the three thieves and their Pokemon flying.

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they yelled, before disappearing in the distance.

_In the evening, after setting up camp:_

"So Greg, when are you going to tell her?" Brock asked the boy.

"I don't know." Greg replied. "I thought I could do it today, but Team Rocket kinda messed things up. Obviously I won't do it today, but I will do it before this week is over. That I'm sure of."

"Very well then." Brock nodded. "Just don't wait too long with it."

"No problem." Greg told the man. "Goodnight, Brock."

_Elsewhere:_

"Ok, Grassman, watch out." Giovanni muttered to himself. "As the saying goes, if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself, so prepare to face me in battle."

He then looked down at the two PokeBalls he was holding, one labeled "S" and the other labeled "V". "Except this time, you won't have the will to battle." He smirked.

The sound of Giovanni's sinister laugh carried itself through the empty corridors of the Team Rocket HQ.


	8. Holy Shit, I'm Psychic!

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Something I forgot to make clear in this story: Greg has shoulder length straight blonde hair and gray eyes. He wears clothes similar to the Gold/Silver/Crystal male player (apart from the hat), except they're mostly green and black.

Chapter 8: Holy shit, I'm psychic.

_One month later, at the Blackthorn City Gym:_

"Alright." Ash cheered, while holding up a small piece of metal shaped like a dragon's face. "I got…the Rising Badge!"

Somewhere in the vicinity, Pikachu could also be heard cheering.

Greg walked up to the Gym Leader slowly. "Um…Clair?" he asked hesitantly.

Clair turned to the boy. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Well, I was wondering, could we maybe have an unofficial battle now?" Greg asked. "I never really got to fight in a Gym, and I wanted to see what it's like."

Clair thought over the boy's suggestion for a moment. "I don't really see why not." She finally replied. "Granted, some of my Pokemon can't fight right now, but I have others that I could use." She smiled. "Ok, kid, let's battle."

_Several minutes later:_

"This unofficial battle between Clair the Gym Leader and Greg Grassman from Cianwood Island will now begin. Each trainer may use two Pokemon. The battle ends when all of either trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Begin!" The referee said.

"Ok, Dragonite, let's go." Clair exclaimed, throwing a PokeBall, from which came a big orange dragon. "As far as rare Pokemon go, my Dragonite is the rarest one I've ever seen."

"Then allow me to make your day." Greg smirked. "Celebi, you're on!" He threw a Luxury Ball with a leaf sticker on it.

Both the judge and the Gym Leader stared in shock at the green Pokemon hovering on Greg's side of the field.

_Damn, this might be hard to win, _Clair thought, then asked "Um, Greg, question. Did you ever lose a battle before?"

Greg smiled. "Lose? No, but I did once tie with Ash." He motioned to the boy on the sidelines. Ash waved.

_Ok, might as well give it my all, _The dragon user thought. "Dragonite, Ice Beam!" she yelled.

A sudden thought struck Greg. "Hmmm, time to try something new." He muttered, then thought to himself, _Celebi, dodge and use Shadow Ball._

Celebi faltered visibly, turned back to its trainer with a look of shock, and then, to everyone's astonishment, evaded the Ice Beam and tossed a ball of dark energy at Dragonite.

Clair was too astounded by what happened to even notice Dragonite getting hit. The dragon grunted in pain but stood its ground.

"What was that supposed to be?" the surprised Gym Leader asked her opponent. "Did Celebi attack by itself?"

Greg chuckled. "No. Celebi and I can communicate mentally, although this is the first time I actually used that ability in battle."

_Great, _Clair thought. _Make this even harder for me, why don't you?_

_Now, Celebi, use Psychic, _Greg commanded his Pokemon.

Clair could only watch helplessly as blue energy enveloped Dragonite and slammed him repeatedly into the ground.

"Dragonite, try to break free. Use Dragon Rage!" Clair yelled. _If I'm right, then Greg will order his Celebi to use Shadow Ball now. Then again, there's no telling what happening inside that mind of his._

Meanwhile, in Greg's mind: _Celebi, Teleport and Solarbeam. Just like we practiced._

Clair watched as Celebi began absorbing sunlight and smiled. The loading time of a Solarbeam meant that Celebi was temporarily vulnerable.

"Dragonite, Hyper Beam! Finish it before that Solarbeam is ready!" Clair shouted.

Dragonite released a thick stream of orange energy straight at Celebi, but the Pokemon disappeared moments before the attack would hit.

"What the…" Clair trailed off as she saw Celebi reappear far from its previous place, still collecting sunlight.

"One of the first things I taught Celebi is how to use Teleport effortlessly. Celebi can now use Teleport almost subconsciously, kind of like we breathe. We do it, but we don't think about it." Greg explained. _Now, Celebi, finish it._

Clair started as Celebi disappeared again, then jumped in shock when Celebi appeared between her and Dragonite and fired a stream of solar energy at the dragon's back. She closed her eyes when she heard the ominous thud of a heavy body hitting the ground.

"Dragonite is unable to battle. Celebi wins." The referee announced. "Will the Gym Leader please choose her last Pokemon."

Clair sighed. "Ok, Gyarados, let's go." She said, releasing the huge bad-tempered Pokemon into the lake on the field.

"I think I'll switch my Pokemon too." Greg said, recalling Celebi and taking a Luxury Ball with a thunderbolt sticker. "Raikou, you're on!"

"Gyarados, start things off with twister." Clair told her Pokemon.

"Dodge, Raikou." Greg said. "I wonder…" he trailed off, then thought: _Raikou, use Thunderbolt._

Raikou's eyes widened upon hearing Greg's voice inside its head, but it sent a bolt of electricity at Gyarados regardless.

_Oh, not again, _Clair groaned, then ordered Gyarados to dodge and dive.

Greg stared in wonder at Raikou. "Holy shit, I'm psychic!" he suddenly exclaimed. "This is awesome!" He then attempted to run out and proclaim the news to the world, but failed when he crashed into the gym door and knocked himself unconscious.

Clair, Gyarados, Raikou, Celebi, Ash, Pikachu, Brock, Misty, and the referee all sweatdropped.

"Well, you gotta admit." Ash said after a small pause. "That was definitely interesting to watch." He motioned to the unconscious Greg.

Everybody cracked up. Greg chose that moment to return to the world of the living.

"What's so funny?" he asked, puzzled.

"You!" they all howled at the same time.

_A few minutes later:_

_Raikou, use Thunder on the water, _Greg mentally commanded his Pokemon.

Clair didn't get a chance to yell a counter-command before the electricity illuminated the water and a fainted Gyarados floated up to the surface.

"Gyarados is unable to battle." The referee said. "The Gym Leader is out of Pokemon. Victory goes to Greg Grassman from Cianwood Island."

"Goddamn it." Clair muttered. "I don't get good challengers for years, then suddenly two show up at once, and one of them has Legendary Pokemon and psychic powers. This was so not my day."

To Ash and Greg she said: "Nice work, both of you. Ash, good luck in the Johto League. Greg, your abilities will help you in whatever path you choose, so you don't need luck. Take care, all of you."

_Outside of the gym, moments later:_

"So, Brock." Greg asked the older boy. "Where are we headed now?"

"I know where you are headed." An unknown voice stated. "And that is with me."

The group started is surprise and turned towards a shadowy figure standing behind them.

"Nice to see you again, Grassman." The mysterious man greeted Greg.

"Hello." Greg replied without any trace of emotion in his voice. "Giovanni."


	9. Captured!

Disclaimer: I repeat, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Oh, in case you're wondering: No, Greg has not confessed to Misty yet. Despite what he said earlier, he chickened out at every opportunity.

Chapter 9: Captured!

"What do you want from us, you creep?" Ash asked the Team Rocket boss.

"Ok, first off, I don't want anything from you specifically." Giovanni answered, sneering at Ash. "However, I do want a Pokemon battle with Grassman. A word of warning, though: If you refuse, your friends…" Giovanni smirked as he noticed an increasingly frustrated Misty, then continued: "and your apparent girlfriend over there might get hurt."

_There's got to be some trick or unfair advantage he's planning to use, _Greg thought. _But if I don't fight him, he's going to send his followers after us I can't risk getting these guys hurt. Oh, and…damn! Even he knows about that. Am I that obvious?_

Greg sighed. "Alright, Giovanni. You got yourself a battle."

Ash and Misty smirked, knowing Greg to be a good trainer and expecting him to win easily. Brock, however, had seen more of the world and also sensed that the villain had something unusual hidden up his sleeve.

"Hey, Brock, we need a referee. Are you up for the job?" Greg asked. Brock nodded.

"Ok, _Boss._" Greg scowled at Giovanni. "I guess since you wanted the battle, you can pick the rules. So what will it be?"

Giovanni sneered again. "Oh, nothing much. Just a 2-on-2 double battle with no substitutions. If I win, you come with me. Not Celebi, not the other legendaries. Just you. I don't care about them anymore." Greg raised an eyebrow at this, surprised. "And if you win, I'll leave you and your friends alone forever. I'm not making any promises about the idiots with the Meowth, though. So, are we clear on the conditions?"

Greg and Brock nodded.

"This battle between Greg Grassman and Giovanni will now commence." Brock stated. "The rules have already been established and the battle is over when both of either trainer's Pokemon are unable to battle. Begin."

"I'll go first." Greg said, then threw two Luxury Balls. "Celebi, Moltres, you're up."

"Now it's my turn." Giovanni announced, throwing two weird-looking PokeBalls, one labeled 'S' and the other labeled 'V'. "Violet, Shadow, let's go."

Greg's eyes widened. _It can't be, no freaking way._

His hopes were dashed when the two beams of light materialized into an Espeon and Umbreon. Both seemed to recognize him, but something clearly prevented them from going over to him.

"Violet, Shadow." Greg exclaimed, then frowned. "What did you do to them to make them listen to you? Tell me!"

Giovanni chuckled. "It was easy. All I had to do transfer them to those special PokeBalls we developed. With these, it doesn't matter who originally caught the Pokemon, it will only listen to the one in possession of the PokeBall containing it, and for these two, it's me."

_Damn, _Greg cursed wordlessly. _This is gonna make things really hard._

"Violet, use Psychic, and Shadow, use Shadow Ball." Giovanni ordered the two foxes.

"Celebi, Teleport, and Moltres, Fly." Greg commanded his team.

The two attacks missed as both of Greg's Pokemon moved out of range.

"Focus on the Moltres!" Giovanni yelled. "Psychic and Pursuit, now."

Moltres was busy avoiding the Psychic, so he didn't notice when Shadow crashed into him and managed to knock him to the ground.

"Nice job, Shadow. Now use Shadow Ball, and Violet, use Zap Cannon." Giovanni said.

"Moltres, use Endure!" Greg shouted desperately.

On the sidelines, Ash and Misty were having a hushed conversation.

"I don't get it." Ash muttered. "Greg usually goes for a full scale attack, why is he playing defense?"

Misty shrugged. "My guess is that he knows Giovanni's two Pokemon from somewhere and doesn't want to attack them."

"Those belonged to his parents, he told me." Brock explained, joining in. "What Giovanni is doing here is messing with Greg's mind, purposely making him defend because he can't find it in himself to attack them."

Misty turned to watch her crush fight. "So does that mean…?" she trailed off.

Brock nodded grimly. "It might. He could lose this."

Back on the field, Greg was now issuing frantic commands to Celebi and Moltres.

"Celebi, Teleport. Moltres, Endure, again!" he yelled.

_Damn it, I can't do this, _he thought to himself.

Giovanni noticed the visible internal struggle of his opponent and smirked. Everything was going how he planned it. _I knew that wimp couldn't handle fighting his parents' Pokemon. How pathetic._

"I give up." Greg suddenly whispered.

This caused everyone to stop talking (or in Giovanni's case, thinking) and look at him.

"What was that, Greg?" Brock asked, certain he misheard.

"I said i can't keep fighting. I surrender." Greg repeated louder, his eyes downcast, as he recalled his two Pokemon.

"But, Greg…" Misty was cut off as Greg looked up at her.

"Misty, I agreed to his rules, so, I'm going with him. Here." He reached for his belt and took six Luxury Balls off it, then handed them to her. "Take care of those guys for me."

He then looked at the two males standing behind her. "Goodbye, you guys."

"Alright, as sappy and touching as this is, I've had enough." Giovanni pointed at Greg. "Shadow, use Hypnosis on him."

Shadow's eyes glowed as it stared at Greg, then the boy fell unceremoniously asleep to the ground.

"As for the rest of you, have a nice life." Giovanni stated sarcastically as a goon appeared seemingly out of nowhere and slung the unconscious boy over his shoulder, then the two villains left.

After watching them take their friend away in the direction of the Team Rocket HQ, Ash and Brock looked at each other, then at Misty, who was crying.

"So what do we do now?" Brock asked, for once at a loss for what to do. "I mean, we can't just leave him in Team Rocket's clutches. He's a good friend of ours."

"And we won't." Ash stated, once again looking after Giovanni and Greg. "We're going after him. We're going to go rescue him from Team Rocket.

Misty just kept on crying, as Pikachu sat on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.


	10. The Rescue Part 1

Disclaimer: I repeat, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Just to clarify, the current ages are: Ash-13, Misty-13, Brock-17, Greg-11.

Chapter 10: The Rescue: Part 1.

_The next morning, by the Team Rocket HQ:_

"Ok, what I think we should do to get in there is acquire Team Rocket uniforms from some goons and pretend to be them. That should work." Brock said to his two companions.

Ash nodded. "Either that or we can pose as potential recruits, just like Greg did."

Brock shook his head. "I'm not sure that would work." He stated gravely. "After Greg's little trick, I'd be surprised if Giovanni didn't tighten security regarding new members."

"I say we just go right in there and kick the crap out of anyone in our way." Misty interrupted angrily.

Ash and Brock just stared at her.

"Misty, we know you're upset about Greg getting taken away, but shouldn't I be the hotheaded one and you the levelheaded one?" Ash joked in an attempt to defuse the situation.

Misty just glared at him.

"Um, Brock?" Ash whispered to his other friend. "I'm scared of her right now, so let's just go with her plan."

"So it's settled." Brock sighed. "We'll go with Misty's idea."

Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and whispered something to him frantically.

"Pikachu says that there is another building behind this one." Ash relayed the message. "So we can either do one after the other or split up and cover both in teams."

"Split up." Misty said. "You guys take this one; I'll go do the other one myself." And with that she stormed off.

Ash and Brock stared after her.

"Explain to me again why Greg likes her." Ash asked the older boy.

_1 hour later, with Misty:_

"Dammit, how many basement floors does this place have?" Misty groaned as she noticed the stairs to yet another lower level, then she looked back at several unconscious grunts. "And it doesn't help that those pathetic criminals are constantly trying to stop me."

She breathed a huge sign of relief when she climbed down the stairs and saw a sign which said "Building A: Bottom Floor-Prisoner Containment."

_Sweet, I found it, _she thought happily. _Hang on, Greg. Help's coming._

_Meanwhile, at Building B:3__rd__ Floor-Pokemon Storage:_

"Hey, Ash, look what I found." Brock said, holding up Violet and Shadow's PokeBalls. "I think Greg will be really happy to have these."

Ash looked over to his partner and smirked.

"Yeah, and if we have those with us, then Giovanni won't have anything over Greg if he chooses to come after us again."

Brock stared at the boy, astonished, with one thought coursing through his head. _When did he get so smart?_

_At the same time, outside Greg's cell:_

"Man, this kid is really creeping me out." One Rocket guard said to the other. "I mean, one, he just sits there instead of pounding on cell bars or yelling at us like the other prisoners, and two, I could have sworn I saw his eyes shine bright blue a few times."

"Didn't you notice there's a pattern to what he's doing?" the other guard asked. "I mean, first he sits there with his eyes closed, then he opens them, you're right, by the way, they do glow blue, then when they're glowing, it looks like he's thinking hard, then he relaxes and closes them again."

"Ok, you know what?" the first guard exclaimed nervously. "I've had it with the nut jobs the boss keeps down here. Next week I'm pushing for a transfer to the Stealing or the Transactions division."

The other sentry was about to reply, but what happened next stopped him.

Greg's eyes were open and glowing again, except this time he had a barely perceptible smirk on his face. At the same time, a faint blue glow surrounded one of the sentries and he rose into the air slowly. Then he quickly flew into the wall, and fell back to the ground, knocked out.

The other man took one look at his fallen partner and ran away as far as he could.

"Time to get out of here." Greg smiled as the keys to his cell door mysteriously floated into his hand.

_With Misty:_

_Ok, at this point I'm probably lost down here. Which way am I supposed to go next?_

Misty first looked down the left corridor, but dismissed it, since it was a dead end. Then she looked down the right corridor, and started in surprise when she saw a clearly terrified Rocket member run towards her.

"Starmie, use Rapid Spin." She instructed the star Pokemon by her leg calmly. "Let's find out what's so scary down there."

The goon gave a cry of pain and shock when Starmie crashed into him and knocked him to the ground.

"So tell me, what are you running from?" Misty smirked, looking down at the grunt.

"Oh, you don't want to go down there, girl." The man explained frantically. "We have this prisoner, and his eyes glow blue, and my partner's down, and…help! It's him. "The man yelled as he caught sight of Greg walking towards them. He pushed past Misty and ran down the corridor as Greg approached her.

"Hey, Misty, what are you doing down here?" Greg asked her, puzzled. "Say, where are Ash and Bro…" he got cut off when Misty crashed into him, then kissed him.

After a few minutes of shocked silence, Greg relaxed and deepened the kiss, while thinking _she really likes me _over and over.

Unbeknownst to him, similar thoughts were coursing through Misty's head at the same time.

_With Ash and Brock:_

"Wow, this place is like a maze." Ash remarked as they walked through the Prisoner Containment level of Building A. "We checked everywhere else, so Greg's got to be down here, but it's so easy to get lost down here. I wonder if Misty got lucky?"

They turned another corner and saw Greg and Misty standing in the middle of the corridor, kissing.

"Oh yeah." Brock smiled, watching the scene before their eyes. "If you ask me, she definitely did."


	11. The Rescue Part 2

Disclaimer: I repeat, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Chapter 11: The Rescue: Part 2.

"Are we interrupting something?" Ash smirked.

Greg and Misty broke apart and both glared daggers at him.

"Oh, come on." Brock complained teasingly. "We come over here to check if you're alright, and instead of thanking us or something, you start glaring at us?"

Greg and Misty chose to ignore the comment, turning instead to face each other again.

"So does this mean we're going out now?" Greg asked curiously.

Misty blushed. "I suppose so, yeah. I'd like that."

Greg nodded and took his Luxury Balls from Misty, then released Celebi to accompany him. "Anyway, you guys should probably get out of here. I still have something I have to deal with. I'll meet you outside in a few minutes."

"Wait." His new girlfriend stopped him. "What exactly are you planning to do?"

Greg's face darkened. "Let's just say there's an old acquaintance of mine here right now and I'm sure he's just dying to see me again." With that he walked off.

"Uh oh." Brock said after a short pause. "If I understood that right, he's going to go kill Giovanni."

Misty's eyes widened, while Ash just frowned.

"Well, it is a bit extreme, but with all that Giovanni and Team Rocket did to Greg, I can't really blame him." He caught sight of Misty and Brock staring at him, astonished. "What?"

_A few minutes later, in Giovanni's office on the top floor:_

"Cassidy, any update on Grassman's escape from his cell?" Giovanni asked the Team Rocket grunt who he'd recently demoted to be his secretary.

"No, sir." The woman replied over the intercom. "We currently know that his friends have left the building, but he still appears to be inside. Oh, hold on, there's someone here right now." Giovanni scowled when he heard Cassidy's next words. "How may I help you, Mr. Lincoln? Say, didn't you screw over Team Rocket half a year ago or something like that?"

Giovanni heard a low chuckle come from the adjacent room.

"My word, you consider yourself a secretary?" Greg asked mockingly. "The Boss really needs to keep his grunts better informed, wouldn't you say, Cassidy?"

Giovanni didn't hear an answer. Instead, he heard a thud, then a knock on his door.

"Grassman, I know it's you." He shouted angrily. "Just get in here so I can permanently dispose of you."

He heard another chuckle from the other side of the door. "As you wish."

Giovanni flinched slightly when the door was blasted off its hinges and into his office, then one of his ex-followers walked in.

"I must say, good thing you knew I was coming." Greg joked, removing his wig and scratching his head. "I really hate wearing this thing."

"Enough with your lame jokes." Giovanni spat. "Let's finally settle this so that you don't bother me anymore." He took a PokeBall from his waist. "Rhydon, I choose you."

Greg sighed. "Oh, this again. Fine then. Moltres, you're on." He threw a Luxury Ball into the air.

"Let's do this fast." Greg stated. "Moltres, use Steel Wing."

Giovanni stared in disbelief as his Pokemon was knocked out with just one attack.

"Ok, that didn't work." He finally managed out. "Nidoqueen, go."

_Two minutes later:_

Giovanni stood among unconscious bodies of his six Pokemon and stared at Greg.

"You know, this is why Moltres is considered a legendary Pokemon." Greg explained, looking around the destroyed office.

"Ok, you won. What are you going to do about it, Grassman?" Giovanni asked angrily.

Greg looked straight into the Team Rocket boss's eyes. Giovanni was immediately struck how the eyes of a mere eleven-year old seemed to have seen pain and suffering far beyond his years.

Greg sighed with obvious sadness. "You see, Giovanni, one time, I was just like you. I had all I wanted, the way you do, except what I wanted was a family and friends." His tone then grew angry. "But you took all that away from me. My parents are dead, I was forced to flee my home to escape your goons, and I only had one friend, namely Celebi, to guide me through all that. I entered your pathetic group in order to take you down, but for some reason I chickened out and settled on freeing the Legendary Pokemon I made the mistake of acquiring for you earlier." Greg's eyes then started glowing blue. "Well, guess what? It's time I finally finished what I originally set out to do. Like I lost everything because of you, you are now going to lose everything because of me. Except, instead of me taking it away from you, I'm going to remove _you _from _it._"

Giovanni stared as a blue glow surrounded his window pane and it smashed to tiny pieces. He then found himself enveloped by similar light and floating slowly out the window, stopping outside to hover above a large distance to the ground below.

He then looked at Greg again, and for the first time since he started running Team Rocket, Giovanni felt fear.

"Say goodnight, Giovanni." And with these words Greg relinquished the psychic hold he had over the man.

"Oh, who am I kidding, I can't do it." Greg sighed, then motioned to Celebi. "Use Psychic on him a meter before he hits the ground, so that he doesn't die."

Celebi looked at Greg, relieved, then proceeded to carry out his instructions. Greg watched as the falling man came to a halt just before he would have landed and died.

"You know, we should probably get down from here?" Greg smiled as he waved a hand towards the broken window. "Should we go the fast way, or the safe way?"

Celebi just giggled.

_That evening, outside the Team Rocket HQ:_

"Thanks for taking him off our hands, officer." Ash smiled. "I'm guessing that with him gone, Team Rocket will now fall apart."

"Actually, I should be thanking you guys." Jenny replied. "Thanks to you, we have one less criminal organization to worry about.

The policewoman then turned to look at several of her colleagues rounding up remaining Team Rocket members.

"I contacted your families." Jenny continued. "There is a large reward for what you kids did, but since you're still underage, we sent the money to your parents to hold until you're adults." She looked at Greg. "Greg, as per your request, we sent your share along with your girlfriend's to her sisters." Greg smiled and Misty blushed. "Well, this is everything, I guess, so thanks again and take care."

The four friends and two Pokemon watched as Jenny drove off with a handcuffed Giovanni sitting behind her.

"So, Ash." Greg turned to his black-haired friend. "Remind we again, where are we off to now?"

Ash chuckled. "Man, Greg, you forget easily. Now we have three months of training ahead of us before the Johto League Championships begin."

"Alright." Greg smiled. "Now that I don't have to worry about some criminal organization or anything like that, let's just relax and have fun training. What do you guys say?"

Misty and Brock cheered.

Author's note: I know, I know. Weakest…ending…EVER!


	12. Let The Games Begin!

Disclaimer: I repeat, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: Ash's current lineup is: Pikachu, Noctowl, Meganium (Bayleef evolved), Totodile, Cyndaquil, and Heracross.

Chapter 12: Let the games begin!

_3 months later, the day before the Johto League Opening Ceremony:_

"Wow, Greg, that was amazing." Brock sighed contently, lying back on the grass.

"Yeah, man." Ash agreed, patting his stomach. "We all knew Brock's a good chef, but when did you learn how to cook?"

Greg laughed. "It's funny how far you'd go to avoid eating in the Team Rocket cafeteria. Honestly, the slop there couldn't possibly qualify as food. I mean, there's one thing I'm sure of, and that is: No food should ever be purple. So, I learned to fend for myself, and it became a popular alternative. By my last month there, people drew straws for invitations to lunch in my office. It was really amusing to watch."

"Is there anything you can't do?" Misty teased her boyfriend.

"I can't get enough of your charm." Greg replied seriously, causing her to blush deeply.

Ash looked between the two. "What charm?" he finally asked, smirking.

Greg's answer was drowned out by the noise of a crowd assembling on a hill overlooking their campsite.

"There he is." Someone yelled. "It's the kid who commands legendary Pokemon and who took down Team Rocket."

"Oh, shit." Greg muttered as the mob of people surged down the slope towards them.

Within seconds, the four friends, Pikachu, and Celebi found themselves surrounded by people pushing and jostling each other to get to Greg.

"Can we see all your Pokemon?" Someone asked.

"Are you planning to compete in the Johto League?" Somebody else asked.

"Will you marry me?" Greg heard some fan girl scream. Misty bristled at that one.

"Can we battle you?" A group of young trainers chorused.

Ash heard that and his face darkened. "How come no one wants to battle me?" he muttered, jealous. Somehow, Greg heard him.

"Hey!" Greg yelled, trying to silence the crowd. "Quiet! Shut up!"

Miraculously, the crowd heard him and the tumult slowly died down.

"Ok, if you can bear with me, I can answer your questions." Greg announced. "First of all, no, you can't see my Pokemon. They didn't agree to accompany me just so I can display them at a whim. Second, no, I won't compete in the upcoming championships. I'm planning to follow a different path regarding Pokemon. It's a surprise, so don't bother asking. To the girl who asked for my hand in marriage, I don't even know you, ok? Besides, I already gave my heart to someone else." He explained, motioning to Misty.

This caused the girls in the crowd to glare at her or moan, disappointed.

"Oh, and to the trainers who came here looking for a battle." Greg pulled Ash forward to stand beside him. "I'm not interested in fighting any of you. Instead, why don't you try your luck against my friend here?"

"Pfft." Some kid scoffed. "We didn't come here to fight some newbie. We came here to fight Legendary Pokemon."

Greg scowled at the kid. "Oh, really?" he challenged the guy. "Well, instead of fighting against Legendary Pokemon, why don't you test your skills against someone who actually beat them?"

This caused the crowd to fall completely silent and stare at Ash with newfound respect. It was true, by the way: in a training battle a few days previously, Ash had managed to defeat all six of Greg's Pokemon.

"I still think you're making a fool out of us." The same annoying kid said smugly. "There's no way a wimp like that could beat even one of the Legendary Pokemon."

Greg didn't reply. Instead he looked pointedly at Celebi.

"You see?" the kid crowed. "He's not answering me. That means I'm right. That means…hey! What's going on?"

The crowd gasped collectively as the saw the kid surrounded by blue light and hovering a few inches away from the ground.

"Let me make something straight." Greg stated in a dangerously low tone, while Celebi continued to maintain its Psychic on the kid. "I tend to have a short temper when someone insults my friends."

"Ok, ok." The offender exclaimed. "If you really want to, I'll fight him. Just put me down."

Greg nodded at Celebi and the boy fell to the ground in a heap.

"So, Brock." Greg smirked. "I think we need a referee again." Brock nodded.

_A few minutes later:_

"This battle between Ash from Pallet Town and Billy from Goldenrod City will now commence. Each trainer will use three Pokemon. The battle is over when all of either trainer's Pokemon are unable to continue. Begin!"

"All right." Billy smiled arrogantly as he threw a PokeBall. "This should be easy. Kadabra, I choose you!"

"Kadabra, huh? Ok, Heracross, let's go." Ash smirked, throwing a PokeBall of his own.

"Heracross, start things off with Foresight, then use Megahorn." Ash instructed the bug Pokemon.

Heracross stared at Kadabra for a moment, identifying him, then flew over extremely quickly and rammed Kadabra with a super-effective attack.

Billy stared in shock as his Kadabra fell to the ground, unable to continue.

_I'm starting to have second thoughts about this, _Billy thought. _Maybe he really did win against Greg._

"Ok, that didn't work." Billy commented, retrieving Kadabra, then selected a different PokeBall. "Crobat, go."

"Heracross, return." Ash switched his Pokemon. "Pikachu, let's go."

This battle didn't last long either, having the type advantage, all Pikachu needed to do was use a couple of Thunderbolts and the crowd watched Billy recall Crobat. The final fight, Pikachu versus Gloom, also ended quickly and in Ash's favor.

"Ok, he's good, I'll give him that." Billy conceded, then added stubbornly, "I still want to fight a Legendary, though."

Greg sighed. "You know what? Fine, but let's make it quick, so send out as many Pokemon as you want. I'll just use this one." He held up a Luxury Ball with a dirt sticker on it.

"Your loss." Billy sneered, then sent out his remaining three Pokemon. "Typhlosion, Rhydon, Cloyster, let's go."

"Groudon, you're on." Greg stated in a deadpan manner as released the Continent Pokemon.

Billy felt all remaining hope of victory leave him as he stared up at the towering behemoth.

"Um, is it to late to call it quits?" he asked Greg, trembling.

"What's the matter?" Ash smirked. "You wanted to fight a Legendary Pokemon so badly, now's your chance. Go get him, champ." He added mockingly.

Greg shook his head at Billy's idiocy. "Groudon, end this fast. Fissure."

Groudon roared and stomped his foot, creating a tremor and splitting the earth under Billy's Pokemon apart, causing all three of them to fall into a narrow crevice.

"Finish with Rock Slide."

Groudon stomped again, causing several large boulders to fall into the crack and knock out all of Billy's Pokemon.

Billy was in hysterics as he recalled them and retreated into the crowd.

"Now leave us alone." Greg yelled. "All of you!"

Muttering, the group slowly dispersed in different directions.

_Two days later:_

"Ah, it sure is nice to just sit here and watch Ash be in the spotlight for a change." Greg said happily.

The crowd sitting in the stadium roared as Ash and his opponent entered the stadium on opposite ends of the battlefield.

"Let the games begin." Greg commented as the first match of the Johto League Championships started.


	13. Time To Say Goodbye

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: How many of you remember the supposedly Invincible Pokemon Brothers, Kim, Kail, and Kai? Well, they show up in this chapter. Also, Ash has already decided to go to Hoenn.

Chapter 13: Time to say goodbye.

_A week later in Viridian City, after the Johto League competition:_

"Wow, Ash, that was some awesome battling you did at the Silver Conference." Greg commented. "I mean, you did get to the second round and almost defeated a Pokemon you've never seen before."

"I guess." Ash mumbled. "Oh, here's the Pokemon center."

The four friends entered the Pokemon clinic, only to be greeted by a Nurse Joy who recognized Ash and Misty.

"Hey you guys, guess what?" she asked, then smiled. "I fixed Misty's bike while you guys were away."

"Oh, this is so cool." Ash remarked. "Now you can go home, Misty. You don't have to follow me around anymore."

Misty looked at Ash with tears in her eyes, then wordlessly took the bike and walked away. Greg shot Ash a glare and went after her.

"What did I say?" Ash asked himself, puzzled.

"You know, Greg's pretty amazing." Brock stated. "I mean, he's two years younger than you, but he has a much greater understanding of people and emotions than you do." And with that Brock went after the pair.

_Meanwhile:_

"So that's her?" Kai asked Kim as they spied on a distraught Misty.

"Yep, fellas, that's her all right. Now let's see what got her crying." The leader of the Invincible Pokemon Brothers told his teammates.

"Hey, girly." Kim smirked as he and the other two approached Misty. "What's got you all sad? Did your boyfriend dump you?"

Misty shook her head. "What's it to you anyway? Who are you guys?"

"We're the Invincible Pokemon Brothers." Kim stated smugly. "I'm Kim, this is Kali, and the big one's Kai."

"I wish you'd turn invisible so you wouldn't bother me anymore." Misty muttered and the three grew angry.

"No one insults us like that and gets away with it." Kim scowled. "I challenge you to a one-on-one Pokemon battle.

_Five minutes later, at a nearby field:_

"Politoed, I choose you." Misty exclaimed, throwing a PokeBall.

"Hitmonchan, let's go." Kim said, choosing his Pokemon.

After a few minutes it became apparent that Politoed had the upper hand in the fight.

"This isn't working." Kim commented, then looked at his brothers. "Guys, feel free to join in." Politoed turned around in a confused circle as he became surrounded by Kai's Hitmonlee and Kali's Hitmontop.

"Hey, three against one isn't fair." Misty complained.

'Well, tough. Deal with it." Kim laughed.

"Celebi, use Solarbeam on Hitmonlee." The combatants heard Greg shout.

"Forretress, Rapid Spin on Hitmontop." Brock chimed in.

"Feel free to finish this one off, Misty." Greg told his girlfriend, motioning to Hitmonchan.

Misty nodded, smiling. "Politoed, use Bubblebeam."

The brothers stared in shock as one after another, their Pokemon fell unconscious.

All the fighters and their Pokemon suddenly got trapped in a prison made out of soccer goal stands.

"To protect the world from devastation." Jessie started the motto.

"What the hell, you guys?" Greg interrupted angrily. "Team Rocket's gone, so leave us alone."

"We work on our own now, kid." Meowth stated smugly. "So no chance of that."

"Um, guys?" James asked his partners. "I don't see the twerp with the Pikachu in there."

"That's because I'm over here." Ash said from behind them. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt."

Team Rocket and the Pokemon Brothers (who just got out of the net) got shocked by Pikachu's electricity, then the earth at their feet exploded and all of them blasted off.

_Later, during the sunset:_

"Well, this is goodbye, Ash." Greg stated sadly. "Brock's going back to Pewter City and I'm going with Misty to Cerulean, so take care, I suppose."

Greg and Brock shook Ash's hand, then Misty hugged him, and the three of them left, leaving Ash alone at the crossroads.

"Greg, Misty, Brock." Ash muttered with his head lowered.

"You know, if you want to say something, just say it." Brock commented.

Ash almost screamed in alarm. "You guys, don't sneak up on me like that."

"Actually, we came back because we forgot to give you these." Misty explained as Greg handed Ash a lunch box wrapped in one of Misty's handkerchiefs and supplied with a set of cutlery from Brock. "Seriously though, goodbye." And Ash was left alone again, this time for good.

_The next day:_

"Weezing, use Smokescreen to fill that hole with smoke." James commanded his Pokemon.

Ash noticed Pikachu coughing and tied Misty's tissue around its nose to filter the air. Then he used the knife and fork Brock gave him to slowly climb his way out of the hole. Around halfway through he heard an explosion and Team Rocket's exclamation about blasting off.

When he finally got out of the pit, he was stunned to see Regice and Groudon standing in front of him, even more so when Regice came up to him and handed him a note. The paper said:

_Ash,_

_As I told you, five Legendary Pokemon agreed to travel with me to keep me company and protect me in case Team Rocket came after me. Since we took down Team Rocket some time ago, there is no reason for me to keep those guys with me. I have decided to release them, starting with Regice and Groudon. I figured they might accompany you on your way to Hoenn, since you're headed there and it's where they live. They will travel with you until you get there, then they will go their separate ways. In case you don't leave for Hoenn right away, they will stay with you for three months and then leave by themselves. Consider this a parting gift._

_Hope to see you again,_

_Greg Grassman._

Ash read the note, then looked up at Regice and Groudon and smiled.


	14. The Joys of Cerulean City

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: This is my version of Pokemon Chronicles Episode 6 "Cerulean Blues", where the Invincible Pokemon Brothers try to take over the Cerulean Gym.

Chapter 14: The Joys of Cerulean City.

_The next day, in the Cerulean Gym:_

"Come on, girls, Misty's gonna be home any minute." Daisy scolded her sisters.

Violet's reply was cut off by the sound of a doorbell ringing.

"Oh my gosh." Lily squealed. "She's here. How do I look?"

Daisy groaned. "You look fine. Let's just show Misty in so that we can go on that damn cruise."

"Hi, guys." Misty said, forcing the door open. "How's it going?"

"Misty!" the three sisters yelled. "Nice to have you home."

"Um, this is my boyfriend, Greg." Misty announced, motioning to the boy standing behind her in the doorway.

"Wow, Misty, he's cute." Lily smiled. "But he looks familiar somehow…"

Violet beat her to the punch. "No way, Misty, you're dating Greg Grassman?"

"Oh my God." Lily screamed. "You're like a hero in Kanto. Can I get your autograph?"

Greg sweatdropped, but complied, muttering at the same time: "I was hoping to finally get away from crazy obsessed fan girls."

Misty frowned. "Aren't you supposed to be on a cruise?"

"You're absolutely right." Daisy confirmed, pushing the other two out the door. "Have fun running the Gym." And the door closed.

_The next day:_

"Oh, I am so not looking forward to this." Misty sighed. "Running a Gym isn't as fun as my sisters think."

"Speaking of your sisters, does Brock have the time of his life whenever he comes over here?" Greg snickered, then turned serious. "About running the Gym, though, I wish I could help.

Misty looked at him. "That's a great idea, actually. We can both participate in a battle whenever there's a challenger."

"I guess, but you forget about my Pokemon." Greg cautioned. "They're all Legendary, so to make things fair, I should use only one. How about I only fight the last round of a battle?"

Misty nodded. "That's fine with me. Nice to have you as co-Gym Leader, Greg."

_Later that day:_

"I challenge you to a battle to decide control of the Cerulean Gym." Kim announced.

"Hold on." Misty told him. "It's a joint decision." She turned to Greg. "What do you think?"

"Misty, these guys are morons." Greg reminded his girlfriend. "Besides," he frowned, having studied the Gym rulebook, "As Gym Leaders, we have to accept all challengers unless we have a good reason to refuse them."

"Alright." Misty shouted to Kim. "We accept your challenge."

"We?" Kim echoed, then smirked. "Ok, Hitmonchan, go."

"Staryu, I choose you." Misty said, releasing the star Pokemon.

Upon seeing Hitmonchan having trouble breathing underwater, Misty ordered Staryu to help. The move turned out to be a trap, however, as Hitmonchan stopped faking and knocked Staryu out.

"Hitmonchan's trick move was illegal." Nurse Joy announced. "Staryu is the winner."

"Fine." Kim growled, recalling Hitmonchan, then threw another PokeBall. "Tentacruel, let's go."

Greg stepped forward. "Allow me to take this one, Misty. Celebi, you're on." He motioned to the Grass-type and it flew out on the field. Minutes later, it became obvious that Celebi was winning.

Kai and Kali decided to tip the odds in their favor by releasing their Tentacruels, making a grand total of three.

"Tentacruels, use Poison Sting on Celebi." Kim commanded.

"Celebi, evade with Teleport, and use Psychic." Greg retorted.

"This isn't working." Kim noticed after a while. "Tentacruels, aim at Gyarados." He sneered, pointing at the caged Pokemon.

Misty wanted to jump in to protect her Pokemon, but Greg stopped her. "Relax, Misty, I got this." He reassured her as his eyes started glowing blue.

The Pokemon Brothers and the crowd stared as the three streams of Poison Sting became surrounded by blue light and stopped in one place. Misty used the chance to jump in and start freeing Gyarados.

"You three are disqualified. Misty and Greg get to retain control of the Cerulean Gym." Nurse Joy told the brothers angrily. "Furthermore, you are hereby banned from all official Pokemon matches."

Greg sighed in relief, then the Poison Stings changed direction and shot straight at the Pokemon Brothers, creating a small explosion.

"We're blasting off again." The brothers exclaimed in unison as they flew off through the open roof.

"All right!" Greg cheered, then smiled as he noticed Misty ride on Gyarados. "and it looks like Gyarados is listening to Misty now as well."

_Later that evening:_

"Night, Misty." Greg said as he climbed into the bed across the room from hers.

"Night, Greg." He heard his girlfriend mumble sleepily.

A short silence fell in the room, broken minutes later.

"Misty?" Greg called softly.

"Yeah, what is it?" Misty asked the boy, rubbing her eyes.

"Thanks again for letting me become co-leader of the Cerulean Gym." Greg said. "That really means a lot to me."

Misty just smiled and fell back, resting her head on her pillow. "No problem, Greg. Goodnight."

Greg was about to reply, but thought better of it when he heard Misty start snoring. Following his girlfriend's lead, he laid his head back, then turned to look at his four remaining Luxury Balls.

_Well, guys, _Greg thought as sleep started to overtake him, _looks like our adventure has finally come to an end._


	15. Release of the Legendary Pokemon

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters, except the OC Greg Grassman.

Author's note: The epilogue is finally here!

Chapter 15: Release of the Legendary Pokemon.

_The next day, on a hill overlooking Cerulean City:_

Greg stood opposite three of his longtime companions, Suicune, Raikou, and Moltres. The three stared at their trainer in complete silence, which he finally decided to break.

"Well, guys, it's been great." Greg started his speech. "But all good things must come to an end, and for us hanging out together, the end is now."

His three friends tilted their heads, looking at him quizzically.

"Remember what I told you guys the first time you hid in the Luxury Balls?" Greg asked and they nodded. "I said that I wanted some companions because Team Rocket was after me. But let me ask you this: is there still a Team Rocket left to threaten us?"

They shook their heads.

"Exactly." Greg nodded. "Therefore, since there is no real reason for me to keep holding on to you all, I have decided to set you free to let you return to your natural homes."

Moltres, Suicune, and Raikou stared at him sadly.

"Guys, you're supposed to be Legendary Pokemon." Greg added. "Part of that title means that no one has ever been able to capture you. Rest assured, I thought this over and I consider this the right thing to do. Oh, and Celebi refused to even listen to me, so there's no chance I'll get him to leave, not that I plan to. But for you guys, this is goodbye."

The three nodded slowly and started to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing." Greg said, causing them to look back. "You all, as well as Groudon and Regice, are welcome to come and visit me. Hopefully I'll see you again."

The Pokemon stared at him, then smiled and dispersed in different directions.

Greg stood there for another few moments, then turned and headed back to the Cerulean Gym.


End file.
